Sin

[smelly]

Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon.

Sin is in.

This is a good one. It's similar to Umbra, in that it's patchouli and spicey, but it's softer.

Very tasty.

For some reason, it didn't seem to last very long.

wrist-to-nose trip frequency = high

I learned the hard way that I shouldn't wear this in my hair, where it lasts a very long time but in the end goes funky. My boyfriend complained that I smelled like Greek Church (he's Greek American). On the skin I think it's working better though.

Editing to add that the amber ending in this has really grown on me. And it even works in my hair, as long as I don't overdo it. It's really good, and I'm glad I got a bottle (went back and forth a bit at first). And the amber part lasts a long time. Edited March 8, 2006 by smelly

[pale]

Wow. This is the grown snake oil. Really what i had hoped snake oil would be, but it just goes to faded incense on me. Not getting a whole lot of patchouli.

 

Very nice spicey bite. Not an everyday gentle scent, something i would wear out clubbing or on a very hot date. Extremely strong-- only a tiny dab needed, and lasts for a very long time.

[PixieSkull]

In the imp: Smells like DBR hiding under neroli or another abrasive citrus. Bergamot? Smells dirty, for sure.

Wet: Cinnamon! I forgot there was cinnamon in this blend, completely forgot. Smells like dirty red hots melting in the sun in the sandbox or somewhere else dirty.

Dry: Same as wet, too much cinnamon and powdery amber.

 

Category: Cinnamon/amber

Rating: 1/5, not a cinnamon person

Overall: I didn't have any description while I was testing this. I knew there was something in the blend that I didn't like but couldn't remember what it was. Yeah, it was cinnamon. My body doesn't get along with amber either, so this blend was not quite right. The dirty smell was nice, but mixed with cinnamon and powdery amber made it gross. Not going to keep it. Off with you!

[storme]

In the imp: Spicy sandalwood. This smells promising, if perhaps a *bit* more acrid than I'd really like.

 

On me, wet: This oil is very thick and sludge-coloured, which is off-putting. And it smells earthy - slightly acrid, warm powdery dirt. The cinnamon is just stopping it from becoming actively sour, I think.

 

On me, dry: This definitely gets better on me the longer it is on. It's cinnamon-ish and warm and earthy without falling prey to the dustiness and mustiness I've had with those sorts of scents before.

 

Verdict: I'm not sure I need this when I have so many other warm spicy scents I like already, but I'll keep the imp anyway.

[MistressTera]

Fresh From The Imp: Cinnamon & sandalwood

 

 

Wet On My Flesh: Big Red chewing gum under a desktop.

 

 

Drying Down: Still a lot of cinnamon, which obscures most of the other notes. The barest hint of sandalwood is there, but I can't get anything else.

 

 

 

Hour To Integrate: Not a lot of change in the last hour; it's still going strong, and much like it was shortly after I first put it on.

 

 

End Of Day/Final Report: While I like long lasting scents, I'm not terribly thrilled about this one. A good swapper.

[Diana]

 

Another of my favorites that I've neglected to review.

 

What can I say? This is a blend of 4 of my 5 favorite notes (add red musk and I'd never leave the house). It's spicey. It's incensey. SEXY. Dark, mysterious, sultry. I love this scent. Most would consider this a wintery scent because of it's heavier & warmer notes, but I like wearing this all year round. In the summer, the scent just rolls off in dripping waves of luscious aroma. LOVE.

 

 

 

And? Add a touch of DeSade and you might just hump your own arm!

[stardreamer]

I ordered this one on the basis of the amber and cinnamon. Sadly, what I seem to be getting is almost entirely the sandalwood and patchouli. I smell like a NewAge store. After a couple of hours, the amber peeks out of hiding a bit, but the cinnamon has still not put in an appearance. I haven't worn this long enough to gauge its staying power, but I'm going to say good to excellent, because resin-based scents usually do last well on me. This isn't a bad scent per se, but it's definitely not to my taste -- headed for the swap pile.

[Naamah_Darling]

This is dirty in the bottle, slightly sweaty with a whiff of cinnamon and a lick of sweetness from the sandalwood. Wow. Powerful stuff.

 

I slip it on, and the cinnamon comes right out at me like a hungry snake. Cinnamon is very hard candy on me, so it has associations of sweetness even if the smell itself isn't sweet. But there's a thick, heavy scent under it, like bark stripped off an old tree, and I'm pretty sure that's the black patchouli. Wow. Okay. I can definitely see wearing this one to boost confidence or energy; it's a vigorous scent.

 

As the cinnamon fades, the patchouli comes out even more and . . . well, I'm not sure about it. Black patchouli smells noticeably different than the regular variety. It's very heavy; there's a hint of corruption in it, like it's been sitting unstirred for a very long time. A sedimental, murky odor that just verges on sweaty. But that scent is what propels this into sexy territory, though. It's walking a damn fine line, there. And isn't that the definition of Sin? Something that's both dirty and delicious?

 

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of cinnamon, but this is defintely a keeper. Because of what the patchouli is doing on my skin, it's an assertive, rough blend. It shoves you up against the wall and gropes your crudely, maybe even painfully, but is giving you the sweetest and most chaste kisses in between. Cocky and devil-may-care, this scent ravishes you marvelously, then leaves you standing there, dazed in the simmery, sweaty-thighed aftermath, only to realize that it's tucked a twenty in your pocket. That little bastard.

 

It's very hot.

 

It ends up soft and warm but not powdery, as the cinnamon and patchouli gives way to the thick amber and sandalwood.

 

After trying it a few times, I can say that this scent does one of two things. If I apply it straight, it's all cinnamon and patchouli, but if I extend it with some fractionated coconut oil the smell opens out and I can detect more of the sandalwood and amber, and it becomes much silkier and more feminine for the duration of its life.

 

If you don't really, really like cinnamon, avoid it, but if a heavily spiced patchouli scent sounds like it might be your thing, give it a try.

[Neely]

In the bottle: sweet vanilla and woods. Yummy!

 

Wet: vetiver? Sweet vanilla and smoke. This is divine!

 

Dry down: sweet, smokey patchouli. I am surprised at how sweet it is, but sin can be sweet can't it?

 

30 minutes: this dries down to very smokey vanilla goodness.

 

Conclusion: I love the dry down, smokey sultry vanilla. But I am going to have to use the imp more to decide if I want a big bottle. I do like this.

 

Rating 1-5, on my skin this is a 4, maybe 4.5.

[opaleyes]

In the vial: lots of sandalwood. It's really strong.

 

On me: Oof! There's the patchouli! And JUST patchouli. Lots and lots of it. I am strongly reminded of Loose Lucy's stores (hippies, The Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, etc). I've only been in two of them, but they both smelled exactly like this.

 

Hm... As the day wore on it began to smell more like the sandalwood and cinnamon. Maybe I just got used to the smell. I'm not sure. The sandalwood/cinnamon combo is more Christmas-y than seductive, I think.

 

It's on ok scent, but I'm not wild about it. Off to the swap pile.

[cameroncrazed]

Preconceived ideas: Ye gads, patchouli and cinnamon. I'm going to smell like a dirty hippie and have red welty arms. Do I really want to do this?

 

In the imp: Patchouli. My least favorite scent. Gack.

 

Wet: Patchouli.

 

Dry < 1.5 hours: Patchouli. Nothing but patchouli. Good news is that I'm not having a skin reaction. Yay! First cinnamon/cassia scent I've been able to wear. Granted, I can't smell cinnamon, but still...

 

Dry > 2 hours: No more patchouli! Yay! It's this wonderful cinnamon/amber scent. Gorgeous! Can't stop sniffing my wrist.

 

Overall: Hmm... 8/10 - Yay, it's the first cinnamon scent I can actually wear! Doh, I have to smell like something I strongly dislike for over an hour first. It's so worth it though. Overall, this is a great sexy sultry scent - and even though I dislike the patchouli, I'm thinking other people (um, hot guys hopefully) will like this on me. This will be great for a night out. I'm going to be wearing this so much I might even overcome my dislike of patchouli. Actually, by the time I started sniffing the cinnamon, the patchouli was starting to grow on me. I cinnamon, and Sin me.

[Eunice]

In the bottle: Cinnamon and amber. I'm not smelling anything else here.

 

Wet: Nice! The sandalwood is coming out just below the cinnamon. The amber is very faint now. No patchouli at all. *sigh*

 

Dry: There's the patchouli! Then just a little bit of the cinnamon and sandalwood comes through. Every time I sniff my wrist, the first scent changes. Patchouli which fades to sandalwood with a cinnamon ending. Another sniff and it is amber, sandalwood and cinnamon.

 

Overall: Love how the different scents bounce around on my skin. This is such a warm, sexy oil!

[Christine Daae]

In the bottle: Cinnamony, YES!

 

Wet: This is darker than my usual, but spicy and definitely 'corrupt' smelling. Mmm, I've been looking for something with cinnamon in that I would like.

 

Drydown: Again, I like the sweet scents. Sweet and spicy.

 

While wearing: This one is a morpher. The cinnamon stays constant (and kind of burns my nose when I smell it, hee!), but the amber and the patchouli (I guess I like patchouli?) play back and forth. I swear I smell vanilla in here (and looking at the other reviews, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who smells it). Probably not something I would wear often, but I'll keep the imp. Cinnamonnnnn.

[Elrianra]

In the bottle this is thick and swarthy, similar to how smut smells on me but spicier. The patchouli really has a kick and the sandalwood is heavy and smoky. The amber and cinnamon are a hot sweetness that just oozes out of the bottle. On me, the woods really stand out in a dark smoky barrier that makes me at once crave water and want to lick my wrist. Yikes. The cinnamon twists in and out of the smoke, making it spicy and heavy while the amber glides over my skin thickening this scent even further than before. It's a veritable mask of deception and desire going on here. As it dries, it gets lighter but not fainter and as it warms, the cinnamon really comes out to play! (My skin loves the cinnamon, I guess) It's spicy sweet with a smoky after image to it, like eating cinnamon honey by a campfire. Dark and heavy and naughty. This is just bad enough that I think my parents would disapprove but delightfully so. As in, I'd wear this on a night out on the town without a second thought. Within an hour, this scent has lived it's life: swarthy and bold when wet, smoky and hot when dry, and pale and sensuous on it's die down. The throw is fantastic but this scent is so dramatically short lived that it's not a feasible perfume for me.

[theseagrows]

i know the only thing similar to sin and haunted is the amber, but this reminds me a lot of haunted, just with a spiciness added in. the sandalwood is faint enough not to give me a headache, and so is the patchouli! the amber and cinnamon come out on my skin the most, so i love this one! cinnamon can be hit or miss but the amber makes it work i think. it's very spicy and sexy- it makes me think of dark red.

[Court Analyst/Strategist]

Disclaimer: I was an avid wearer of this in Fall of last year (I loved to layer it with Bloodlust or Fenris Wolf, too!), and then kind of forgot about the imp of Sin lying in my imp drawer. I never got around to ordering a bottle, either.

 

When first applied, it reminds me of Fenris Wolf (I think its the amber/sandalwood sweet-dryness that links my scent memory to FW). The scents are quite different, though, despite my nose's initial scent confusion (which happens nearly every time I apply Sin, oddly enough!). Sin itself has a very dry, smooth sandalwood base, heightened by cinnamon and sweetened by amber. Patchouli is the least prominent note of the lot on my skin chemistry, its simply a faint undertone in the scent, if that. The smell of this blend often brings to my mind the color of light brown, granulated cinnamon mixed with sugar.

 

Throw: 7.5/10 (rating). A little dab of this at the pulse points goes a long way at a pretty steady (moderate) level of broadcasting power.

 

Overall: 8/10 (rating). I must be insane. Why did I forget about this in my imp storage for so long?! I will have to order a 5ml. This is, after all, not only a distinctly sexy blend, but a fantastic layering tool as well (I've found quite a few scents that Sin can be layered very efficiently with).

 

Court

[PilotKitten]

The amber and patchouli really grab me on this one.

 

This is a wonderful amber... which usually smells powdery on me, but this is wonderful goody-ness and full of warmth.

[brownbear]

This one smells so much better in the imp than it does on me. On me I get dry sandalwood and that's about it. My skin sucks up everything that was interesting in the imp. oh well.

[m13]

In the Imp: Patchouli, deep dark midnight patchouli, with the faintest sprinkling of cinnamon

 

Wet: Luscious. Still mega-patchouli, but I also smell sandalwood now along with that backbeat of cinnamon.

 

30 minutes later: Spent a few worried moments thinking the cinnamon would overpower all the other notes, but then patchouli, amber and sandalwood cheerfully beat the cinnamon into submission.

 

Three hours: This settled down beautifully, it was a bit too strident there for awhile. Now its a beautifully balanced blend, and I can't stop smelling my wrists. Sin brings me right back to when I worked in an occult shop, after a few years the shop smell became an amazing deep morph of all our ritual oils, incenses and herbs – Sin smells exactly like the occult shop did. This is wonderful stuff. It's a hippie scent for grown-ups and the evil twin to Lush's Karma.

[edenssixthday]

Sin on my skin, it's all patchouli and sandalwood -- two scents I don't care for unless they are blended with just the right notes. And in this case, it's not. This scent is too red and spicy for my taste. It takes a long time to dry down, and I can actually see a slightly oily spot on my skin for quite some time after applying it. It's strong without being overpowering, and the staying power is pretty good. But despite these positive aspects of Sin, the combo of sandalwood, patchouli and strong, cinnamon spiciness will keep me from returning. I don't always have issues with red and spicy, as there's a time and place for most scents, but I don't see there being a time or place in my life for this particular one.

[songtoisis]

I'm not a fan of patchouli, but I decided to give Sin a try because of its many rave reviews.

 

I really wasn't sure about this oil. In the bottle it reminded me of a powerful old-lady's perfume dumped on a hippie. The patchouli smell was overpowering and I'm not a patchouli girl. I'm having fun though, so I figured I'd try it on my skin to see what I got. It is drying down to that intriguing sandalwood incense of a really good witchy store. Close to my skin, the cinnamon is hovering in a wave of fire--as if licking my skin would be akin to licking an atomic fireball candy. All smoke and fire and spice--it isn't anything like my usual aura of light and breezes and pastel blues and greens. I like that--it is kick-starting something else. This would be an awesome, empowering oil to wear in ritual. At a distance it is like an incense-fueled "fuck you, I'm a witch" and close up, skimming my skin like a cinnamon secret is "fuck me, I'm a witch".

 

--

Twenty Minutes Later: My husband caught my test scent while I was making myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He leaned in to bite my neck and stopped, hovering over my ear uncertainly. "You smell like an old lady", he said somewhat bewildered. He leaned closer for a better take on it. "And a hippie. You smell like an old hippie!" So yeah. Guess I won't be wearing this for any seductions of him.

 

After an hour, empowering became overpowering. The insistent, pushy notes battered my every breath--I had to wash it off so I could calm down and breathe easily again. Definately a special oil--limited ritual use when I really need to pack a punch of earth and fire. For a watery air sign like me, it's a bit much to handle for long...like channeling something that doesn't comfortably fit into my body.

[urraca]

All these wicked sounding glamourous notes and on me this just smells like raw cake batter. I think it is the cinnamon/spice notes that do this to me --- Morocco was the same. I don't get any patchouli at all, which is good because the two of us are not friends. There was a hint of amber and sandalwood at the beginning.

[tidesong]

In the Bottle: Mostly patchouli and a touch of sandalwood.

 

On Application: I could swear I smell the BPAL leather in this..unless it's the same patchouli that was in Spanked and that's what's jogging my memory. No, it's not quite as sickly sweet. Cinnamon is starting to come out now, fiery, like Red Hots. Damn, this is still reminding me of Spanked though.

 

On Drydown: Red Hots and what must be patchouli. It still smells like Spanked to me.

 

Comments: Meh.

 

Verdict: Swap.

[juniperus]

Thanks to the lovely Urraca for this imp.

 

Bottle: scrumptous amber and a bare hint of cinnamon, sweet and golden-red

Wet: the pacthouli is bringing up the bottom, very warm. sinful? hell yeah.

Dry: I can't catch the sandalwood yet..this is almost dragon's blood-esque ... sultry.

Later: still no sandalwood, sadly as I love sandalwood, but as sins go this one could become a habit.

[Tess]

Patchouli and I aren't great friends, although cinnamin and amber both are, with sandalwood having no effect on me yet. Will this work out? Who knows!

 

In the vial - This isn't at all how I imagined it, but it is interesting. The scents are meshing to something... odd to my nose.

 

Wet - At first I could have sworn I got a whiff of civet...

 

Drying - Dear gods, patchouli is stomping around my nose, dragging cinnamin and amber behind it! This smells exactly like an incense stick that a friend of mine has to cover up the smell of her 420. Only this little guy has a sour note to it, which I assume is from the sandalwood.

 

Dry (25 minutes) - Well, it's true to the description. Patchouli with that other stuff in the background trying to break down the wall. But it's patchouli. Strong patchouli.

 

Overall - I can see some people really liking this, but I stand by my opinion that patchouli just isn't me. It just makes me feel like a stoner. This would be great for one of my friends, but it's off to the swaps for this little guy.